Between the Lines
by Neon25
Summary: The show must go on! And so must the school play. But with the trio of misfits broken, exes at every turn, and new love interests, the drama doesn't stop at the script.
1. New Leading Lady

1: New Leading Lady

"Marisol," Katie whined as her best friend pulled her by the wrist through the halls of Degrassi. "Marisol!" Katie cried louder only to be ignored. Marisol continued dragging Katie down the hall until they stopped in front of open doors.

"Here we are," Marisol claimed proudly as she let go of Katie's arm.

"And there I go," Katie said before turning around and starting to walk away. Marisol grabbed her shirt and tugged her back.

"No; you're not going anywhere but in there," Marisol demanded pointing through the doors.

"Why? I don't want to," Katie complained. She scrunched her nose like a child would before they throw a tantrum.

Marisol held her ground with an amused expression on her face. "Because you need some fine arts credits to graduate and they still need a leading lady for the play?" Marisol told Kaite.

Katie sighed. "Come on Katie! It'll be fun!" Marisol encouraged. Katie sighed again.

"Then why don't you do it?" Katie questioned defensively.

"Cuz I have out of school commitments to get to and have no time for the play. Plus, I already have all the fine arts credits I need to graduate," Marisol snobbishly pointed out.

"But-" Katie began to argue but was cut off by Marisol's hand.

"No buts, Katie. You have to do this," Marisol pushed her into the room before walking away.

Katie turned to see a few students already in the Degrassi drama room. She felt her face go red hot as all their eyes fell upon her. She gave a shy smile and looked around the room unsure of what to do.

A dark haired boy caught her eye and began walking up to her. He had emerald green eyes and worn black nail polish. Katie couldn't imagine anyone like him working on the school play, yet here he was in a Degrassi Drama shirt.

"Can I help you?" he asked in an emotionless voice.

"Um, yeah. I'm here to join the play," Katie responded. She nervously began to shift her weight from one foot to another as the boy looked at her. "Marisol," Katie added, "told me you were looking for a leading part, but I'd be okay just working behind the scenes." The boy's lifeless gaze began to scare Katie.

"You act?" he asked uninterested.

"Not really," Katie admitted. She saw the boy's lips curl into a faint smirk; it was the only sign of life in the mysterious boy.

"You'll fit right in," He told her. Katie smiled unsure whether it was because she was part of the drama club now or because the dark, mysterious boy seemed to approve of her.

They were looking at each other when they heard heels clicking against the ground. Katie turned her head to see a beautiful girl walk into the room. She wore a blue polo telling Katie she was a senior but she dressed it up with a blue bow in her hair and a yellow tie hanging around her neck.

"Eli!" the girl exclaimed. Katie saw the boy in front of her look up. "I'm sorry I'm late," the senior apologized. She approached the boy who Katie now knew was Eli. "Who's this?" she asked.

"Um…" he began puzzled. He turned away from the girl and back to Katie. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Oh, uh, Katie. Katie Matlin," she informed him.

He turned back to the other girl. "Fiona, this is Katie Matlin. Katie," he turned back to Katie, "this is Fiona." Fiona reached her hand out to Katie who took it and shook it. "And I'm Eli," he added also shaking Katie's hand. "She's going to be taking your place as leading lady of our play," Eli said to Fiona but looking at Katie. Fiona nodded.

"Eli, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked him. He nodded and they stepped away from Katie for a few minutes to talk.

Fiona pulled Eli a few feet from Katie by the collar. Katie noticed his eyes stayed emotionless the whole conversation. It surprised her that he was so dead throughout the whole time.

"Eli," Fiona warned.

"What?" he asked shrugging. Fiona sighed.

"You know what," she reminded him. It was his turn to sigh.

"Fiona, the show must go on, you know that," he told her.

"Yes, but we need to be careful. You can't just give her the part. Not when you, Clare, and Adam are all running this thing together." At the sound of his former girlfriend and former best friend's names, Eli tensed. Fiona continued unaware of this motion. "I know you aren't all talking right now, but unless you want things to get worse, I suggest that you refer to them."

"Fiona, we are the directors. Not Adam. Not…" he gulped. "Not Clare. You and me. We choose the actors, not them." As he said the words he knew they were wrong but couldn't help it.

Fiona sighed. Sensing the venom and underlying pain in his voice, she softened towards him. "You know, you never told me what happened between you and Adam," she offered.

"Yes I did," he said through an uncaring clenched jaw.

"No, you told me about Clare," she insisted. "Want to talk about it?" Eli shook his head. Fiona knew he wouldn't budge from his position on the matter. "You said that after you let if off your chest, you felt better. Maybe that's what you need right now. To just let if off your chest?" she posed an offer. He thought about it for a moment.

Eli nodded. "Maybe you're right. Maybe talking will help," he admitted. "But not here. Not where everyone can see me breakdown. I can't…I can't let word get to either of them that I'm broken." Fiona nodded in understanding. She got up followed by Eli. They snuck out of the drama room and through the back doors leading to a parking lot surrounded by trees. The two walked between the trees until they saw a familiar place to the both of them.


	2. Talking It Out

2: Talking it Out

Fiona sat on the rock while Eli continued to pace. After a few moments, he then sat down on the adjacent rock. They sat silent for a moment looking forward and the nearby creek. The two had found this place during break. Eli had started using a therapist for his compulsion issues and his therapist happened to be in the same building as Fiona's was. They met there and began to hang out. Neither had anyone else to turn to and they quickly became fast, trustworthy friends.

"It's my fault," Eli broke the silence first. "Adam, he tired to be there for me after…after Clare." Eli's hands began to shake. "Every time he'd call or text and stop by my house, I'd just push him away. I said some messed up things to him. He…he was such a good friend. He'd brush off my hurtful comments and tell me he'd talk to me soon. And then the next day Adam would try to talk to me again. But I'd just keep pushing. I'd keep shutting him out. In the back of my mind, I was glad he kept trying; it told me that I meant something to someone at least," Eli revealed. "But then he just stopped. One day he just didn't try anymore. And I got mad at him. I don't know why I did it, but I let all my anger out on him," Eli clenched his fists angry with himself. "I knew how to tear him down and so I did. I told him he wasn't a guy. That I never even considered him a guy…or a friend. I told him that he was nothing, no one cared about him. And you know what he did? Adam just told me that he hopes one day I'll be better. He never cried, never broke down. That made me even madder at him. I…I sent a letter to his grandma telling her about him. He found out but he never yelled at me. He said he understood that I was angry and I needed an outlet. He was used to being that outlet. The worst part is I never apologized for what I did. I never even regretted it until recently," Eli poured out his emotions. Fiona listened intently. There was silence again. "His grandma hates him now," Eli said with sadness in his voice. "His family has become an outcast to the rest of their extended family. His mother hates him for it. His father is upset by it. And his brother isn't speaking to him. I screwed up his whole life. I took away his family, his friends, his whole life! And yet he promises that he doesn't hate me. But I don't care if he hates me. Because I hate me!" Eli shouting now crying.

Fiona sat silent throughout Eli's whole speech. Eli hadn't talked with so much emotion since before break. Fiona was almost worried. Almost. Then she remembered that he was talking about Adam, his best friend. Girls may go through best friends like dresses, but guys really only ever have one. And Eli may have just lost his.

"It's all my fault," Eli repeated quieter. His jaw was clenched and his hands were balled into fists. Had Fiona not known better, she would've assumed Eli was going to get violent and hit her. But Eli learned to control his emotions – maybe a little too well. His outburst of emotions shocked and surprised Fiona.

"Maybe so," Fiona said gently. Eli looked at her with rage evident in his eyes. In therapy, they were taught that the truth is better than lying to make someone feel better. Because in truth, there's always something there to lift your spirits. "Then again, maybe not."

Eli smirked, but it quickly turned to a frown. "No, I know it is. If I had never done what I did – "

"Then you would never have gotten to this point in therapy," Fiona interrupted. "Think about this Eli: you're getting healthier, getting better. Sure, you may have done Adam wrong, but indirectly, that wrong doing is helping you."

He thought about Fiona's words for a moment. Oddly enough, she was right. After his fallout with Adam, Eli had increased his therapy visits from twice a week to four times. He needed to find a way to handle his life without the anger and mental breakdowns.

"Thanks, Fi," Eli said after a brief silence. "I know talking about Adam isn't necessarily your favorite thing right now, but it means a lot to me."

Fiona nodded. It was hard for her to talk to highly about someone that she broke. What made it worse is that she wasn't sure what to do when she sees him. They hadn't talked since that awful evening at her condo and there would obviously be tension. But buddying up with Adam's best friend and working on the school play together meant they would have to cross paths at some point.

"What are you thinking?" Eli asked softly while Fiona was lost deeply in thought. She sighed. "About Adam, right?" he pressed. She nodded.

"I don't know what to expect. We'll have to talk; I just wish it wasn't going to be so soon," she admitted.

"Don't worry, Fi," Eli turned to her. They looked into each other's eyes trustingly. "Adam loves the both of us too much to hold a grudge." He gave her a reassuring smile. Fiona gave him one in return before looking at her watch.

"Oh, um, I think we should head back," Fiona said remembering about the play. They had left Katie standing there, the crew standing there, and she was sure that by now Clare and Adam had arrived there and were wondering where their directors were. Eli nodded and they got up to head back to school.

"Thanks Fi," Eli said as they left their special spot. "It does feel good to get that off my chest."

"Told you," Fiona responded flashing him a bright smile. "Now we have to hurry before they start without us." The two friends took off running towards Degrassi Community School and the drama room.


	3. Back To Reality

3: Back To Reality

Katie had been standing in the room for a good fifteen minutes and there was no sign of Eli or Fiona. She figured they must've gone off to make out or something; they seemed really close! Katie was used to waiting. Marisol would often put boys first and make Katie wait until she was finished flirting so the concept wasn't new. Just as her thoughts found their way back to Eli and Fiona, Katie felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Hi," a girl wearing a purple polo with short curly hair said. She had a wide grin on her face, but Katie noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hi," Katie returned as she took the girl's hand and shook it properly. "I'm Katie."

"Clare," the girl told her. "You new here?"

"To Degrassi? No. To the school play? Yes," Katie answered. She wasn't surprised that people thought of her as 'the new girl.' Although she had been attending Degrassi since freshman year, she generally tried to stay low and under the radar. It worked for the most part. She kept to her close knit group of friends and never really strayed from that.

"Oh. Are you here to work stage crew?" Clare asked. Katie shook her head.

"Well, no. At least I don't think so," Katie said confused but honestly. "I was told about an opening in the cast, but I don't know if I'll be filling the void. The kid I talked to – Eli," Katie saw Clare slightly tense up at the mention of the gothic boy, "didn't really make it clear what I was going to be doing."

"Do you know where El – where El – " Clare cleared her throat. She lifted her head in a disgusted manner. "Do you know where Eli is?"

Katie shrugged. "He ran off with some girl named Fiona a while ago, but I don't know where they went."

"Oh," Clare said with a mix of relief and disappointment. The two stood together in awkward silence for a few moments before the doors were pushed open and Eli and Fiona walked in. Katie saw Clare and Eli lock eyes. He stiffened a bit and she crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air higher. Not quite sure what was going on between them, Katie shifted glances back and forth between them.

"Alright," Fiona said loudly to break the tension in the room. She clapped her hands together and walked forward with Eli trailing behind her. He had a sad and lost look in his eye. "So, do we have everyone here?" she questioned looking around. Eli shook his head no but no one seemed to notice. "Great. Well then, everyone, let me introduce the new leading lady of the play," Fiona announced walking towards Katie. "Everyone, this is Katie Matlin."

There were a few murmured 'hello's and 'welcome's. Then everyone dispersed to continue whatever it was that they were up to before Fiona made her announcement. Katie stood unsure of what to do with Fiona still standing close by.

"I see you've met our writer, Clare," Fiona said pointing to Clare who had gone off to talk with a few people holding papers. Katie nodded.

"What's up between her and Eli?" she asked. Fiona's face went sour. "Oh. Is it because of you and Eli? Is she jealous or something?" Katie questioned.

Fiona shook her head and giggled a little. "It's a lot to explain, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with 'me and Eli.' He's so far from my type," Fiona said smiling. Katie raised her eyebrows. The two had seemed close and they definitely looked alright together, both were stunning in their own way. Fiona giggled some more. "I'm a lesbian, Katie. Guys aren't really my thing. But don't worry, I'm not out to get every girl in the world," Fiona joked. Katie forced out an uncomfortable laugh.

"Bad breakup?" Katie pressed.

"You have no idea," Fiona said with her eyes wide and head tilted. "Here's all you need to know. Eli and Clare don't talk anymore. If I were you, I'd just let the subject be. Trust me, it's hard enough working with your ex without inquiring minds bringing it up." Fiona smiled lightly at Katie before she pranced off to Eli.

Katie couldn't help but wonder if Fiona spoke from experience. Did she have an ex here? And if so, who? Katie scanned the room with her gaydar on high alert. She realized just how silly she was being.

"Katie!" Clare called making her way over. She handed Katie some papers stapled together. "Here's your script for the first act of the play." Katie took the script and flipped through it.

"First act?" she asked unbelievingly. "This is like, fifty pages!" Clare nodded.

"It's a long play, Katie," she said. "Here, why don't I tell you a little bit about the play? Maybe a summary and description of your character would help you out a little bit?"

Katie nodded. "Um, sure. That's be great." She and Clare sat on a few vacant chairs near the corner of the room.

"So, the play is called _Revival_."


	4. Revival

4: Revival

"Originally it was about an inventor who brings a woman to life – a monster of sorts, if you will – and how she develops into a well rounded human being. However, due to…recent inspiration, I've completely changed the play. _Revival_ is about a young girl named Clara – that's you – who lives in a small town. She has an average life with average friends. But soon, her life is flipped upside down when the new boy, Elliot, moves to town in act one. Clara soon finds herself giving up her passions, her friends, her family, and her life for him. Once Clara feels as though she has nothing but Elliot, she begins to realize that he influenced her every decision. Then act two begins. This is when Clara starts to go against Elliot even though her love for him is evident. She unveils an unnerving past about him and sees that he is incapable of loving her because of his mental instability. You see, Elliot is portrayed, in the beginning, as the perfect guy. He seems to really care about Clara and want to be with her and make her happy. But as the play unfolds, we see that all he ever really wanted was someone to be his puppet, someone he can control. He develops into this…this sinister, uncaring creature. Clara on the other hand is so in love that she looks beyond Elliot's faults and oddities. Throughout the play, the audience even witnesses Clara defending Elliot against herself in one of many soliloquies she has. You see, you play a very difficult role because you need to come across as trusting and loving to a fault, but, in the end, be seen as powerful woman who has grown tremendously because of what Eli – I mean Elliot, I mean Elliot, has done to her. Katie," Clare said looking Katie directly in the eyes with a serious tone of voice, "it will be up to you to bring such a dynamic character as Clara to life."

Katie gulped. It seemed like a lot of pressure for a play. Perhaps there was more to it than just a story. Clara and Elliot were awfully similar to Clare and Eli. And Clare did mention 'recent inspiration.' But Katie remembered what Fiona had said and pushed the thoughts away. But they kept coming back.

"Wow. You seem so emotionally invested in this thing," Katie commented carefully. She didn't want it to look like she was prying but didn't want it to come off as just some random thought.

"Well, it's important to me, you know?" Clare responded. Katie mentally sighed. Of course Clare wasn't going to open up about it right then and there. The two girls barely knew each other.

"Um," Katie broke the silence they had fallen into. "If I may ask, who's playing Elliot?"

"Oh, right. Our leading man is Adam Torres. He will be Elliot," Clare said. Katie recognized the name. She had heard it a lot earlier in the year. Torres. Oh, that's right! He's Drew's little brother. Wait? Isn't Drew's little brother…

"Adam Torres? Isn't he the guy who's really a girl?" Katie asked for clarification purposes. She saw Clare tense and knew she hit a nerve.

"No. Well, yes, but no," Clare firmly told her. "Adam is a guy. His mind, heart, and soul are all male and so he is, therefore, a guy. Just because he was born in a female body does _not_ make him any less of a man." Katie could feel the passion radiating from Clare's voice.

"I'm sorry if I struck a nerve," Katie apologized. "You seem like you two are really close." From the way Clare defended him, Katie deduced that she and Adam were good friends.

Clare sighed. "We used to be."

"What happened?" Katie asked. She didn't want o seem nosey but she figured if she would have to spend the next few weeks preparing a play with these strangers then at least she should know who they are and who they're friends with.

"It's a long story," Clare said looking down. Katie noticed that Clare's voice was heavy, depressed almost. Her eyes were sad and her demeanor upset.

Katie put a reassuring hand on Clare's back. "We got plenty of time." Clare looked up. It was unexplainable, but she felt like opening up to Katie would be a good thing.

"Earlier this year, Adam, Eli, and I used to be a trio of misfits. Literally, we called ourselves the misfits. It was me, the pure, Christian girl, Eli, the mysterious kid with a dark past, and Adam, the transgendered bully magnet. It was the perfect friendship," Clare looked off into the distance as if imagining the story was unfolding in front of her eyes. "But it was more than friendship with Eli and me. It turned into something more and soon we were together. He helped me through my parents' divorce and I helped him through…stuff." Katie noted that Clare was very general. It made her wonder what Eli was hiding and why he was hiding it. "Anyway, we seemed perfect. And we were. That is until Eli's past caught up with him. He was so obsessed with losing me that he began suffocating me. The suffocation turned to manipulation and I couldn't handle it. After we broke up, Adam got caught between us. Eli was his best friend but Adam and I were like siblings. He tried to play peacemaker. But you can't be a friend to two sides of a breakup, you know. So, I don't know why or how, but Eli and Adam stopped talking. Without a best friend, Adam had no one to go to with his own problems. He tried talking to me, but I just got mad at him, telling him that im the one in distress and he should just shut up and be happy with his life. I began to ignore him, neglect him, and take him for granted. I didn't even realize I was doing it. One day, I just got so angry about Eli that I took it out on Adam. Words were said and things were done that should never have happened. But they did. After that, I just ignored all of his calls and texts and emails. Then, they all just stopped completely. And now, the perfect trio of misfits won't even look at each other," Clare finished with the rim of her eyes watery. Katie rubbed Clare's back unsure of what to do.

She had never met Adam. Drew, she had met. They met multiple times at sporting events and award nights. But she never had the opportunity to meet the younger Torres brother. From what Katie heard, he was a nice enough kid. Supposedly, he was treated pretty badly by a few former bullies at the school, but she hadn't seen anything. Then again, she never even saw Adam. They might have possibly passed in the hall over the course of the year, but how would she recognize him if she never met him before?

"Well," Clare said wiping her eyes. "I need to get back to work. Why don't you take home the script and start memorizing lines? Tomorrow we'll start rehearsing some scenes when our lead man is here, okay?"

Katie nodded. Clare got up and walked away. Katie watched as Clare attempted to get across the room without turning to Eli who held his gaze on her. Not in a creepy way, but more in a lost puppy kind of way. Clare ignored him the whole time and Katie thought that the drama might not stop at the play.


	5. Imogen

5: Imogen

Eli ran up the steps of Degrassi in a hurry. Earlier today he had left his house key in the drama room. Eli walked all the way home just to realize he had left it and then had to walk all the way back to school. By now, it was almost five thirty in the evening.

Yanking the door open, Eli sighed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the school may have already been locked. After Vegas Night, the crackdown caused the school to close early and stay closed during non-school hours. Seeing as the doors were unlocked, Eli figured there must've been some event going on or something.

He quickly scoped the area to be sure that no one had seen him enter. Once he was sure that he was alone, Eli began to make his way to the drama room. Although the school had all of its lights on, Eli glanced behind him at every sound. Who would've thought that 'Goth boy' would be afraid of the school at night.

Eli relaxed a little once he was safely in the drama room. He had been sure to shut the door behind him so that if there were any teachers or faculty members, they wouldn't suspect anything.

The lights were off and Eli didn't want to risk suspension and possible breaking and entering charges by turning them on. Instead, Eli pulled his phone out and pressed a random button. The screen lit up and gave Eli just enough light to check around the area he thought he left his key.

A wide smile came across his face when his light fell upon his key. Eli grabbed it quickly.

"Score," he whispered. Eli had never actually considered what would happen if he didn't find his key. His parents were mad enough about Morty and the incident with the gun that they would surely blow up on him if he told them. But he didn't need to worry about that now; his key was safely back in his hands.

Eli shoved his phone back into his pockets and made his way to the door. He closed the doors behind him silently. Once the doors were shut, Eli swiftly turned around and took off; he didn't want to get caught now, not after he had accomplished his mission.

But before Eli even got 5 steps from the drama room, he collided with someone. Immediately thinking it was a teacher, Eli braced himself for the punishment. Once the two were back on their feet, Eli kept his eyes trained on the floor as he waited for the inevitable yelling. When none came, Eli looked up and came face to face with a young girl about his age.

"Hi," he breathed.

"Hi," the girl responded.

"I'm uh, I'm sorry about that," he said rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed. The girl giggled a little bit.

"It's okay," she said. They locked eyes. "I'm Imogen." The girl reached a hand out to Eli who took it.

"Eli Goldsworthy," he said. They let go of each other's hand and stood there awkwardly. "I, uh, I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly are you doing here so late?"

"Could ask you the same question," Imogen retorted. She smirked which made Eli smirk.

"But I asked you first," Eli pointed out. Imogen nodded playfully.

"So you did," she confirmed. "Well, if you must know, I'm here with my parents for orientation. I'm new."

"As I guessed from the fact that you're holding a map of Degrassi in your hands," Eli remarked. Imogen laughed. "Transfer?" Eli asked.

Imogen nodded. "Yep, from the states," she told him.

"Ah yes, good ol' America," Eli said with a fake southern accent. The two teenagers laughed.

"Hey!" Imogen said feigning hurt and slapping Eli's shoulder. "Not every American is from the south, you know."

Eli shrugged. "I know, but the accent is just too much fun," he said in the same fake accent. They laughed some more and met eyes when they stopped. They were both smiling and began leaning in. Eli realized what was happened and swiftly pulled back. "Um, I, uh, I gotta go," he said before rushing off.

Imogen watched as he left. There was something there. She knew it. But he seemed…off. There was just something about him that pulled her in. She decided to go home and find out just who Eli Goldsworthy was.


	6. Cyberstalking

6: Cyber Stalking

Imogen got home and went straight to her room. She needed to do some investigating on just who this Eli Goldsworthy was. After shutting her door to be sure there would be no parental intrusions, Imogen turned on her computer and opened her internet. She went to Google and typed 'Eli Goldsworthy' in the search bar.

Yes, Imogen Moreno was google-ing someone. Correction, Imogen Moreno was google-ing a boy she just met and had barely talked to. But there was something about him that made her want to get to know him. Maybe it was the sad, lost look in his eyes; maybe it was the nonexistent emotion, she didn't know.

She pressed the search button and waited for the results to show up. Luckily, her internet was running quickly lately and within milliseconds the links were displayed on her screen. Imogen skipped the sponsor links and read the first hyperlink.

'Police Incident Report: Boy in Car Crash' it read. Imogen, interested, clicked the link. The local police website came up and displayed a picture of a damaged hearse in the middle of a street with a picture of Eli below it. Seeing that the report had to do with Eli, Imogen read on.

_On April 22, Elijah Goldsworthy, age 17, was involved in a car crash on 18__th__ Street. Elijah, better known as Eli, is currently a junior at Degrassi Community School. The night of the crash, the school held a Spring Fling dance. The chaperones, teachers, and students confirmed that Eli was never spotted at the dance. Instead, according to an anonymous source, he was waiting for someone at a bench nearby the school. The police were called late in the night to the scene of the crash. Eli's car had sped into traffic and had been hit by another car. A witness said that Eli seemed to have fallen asleep at the wheel of his hearse. He was rushed to the hospital with a broken leg and an injured neck. The police notified his parents, CeCe and Bullfrog Goldsworthy. Doctors say that the high school junior suffered minor injuries compared to what is normally expected from a crash of this caliber. Bullfrog Goldsworthy, a radio station host, said that his son was on his way out of town when he crashed his car. When asked about the reason for the crash, Eli claimed that he needed to get rid of his hearse, which he calls Morty, because his girlfriend didn't like it. The police say that Eli had been on the phone just before the crash and had left in phone on the dash. There is speculation that the phone call was between him and his girlfriend and that they had gotten into a verbal argument. Upon further investigation, police discovered that a screw driver was used to start the car and not the keys. This supports his parents' claim that they had Eli's keys and didn't want him driving. "We were really worried about how Eli's been acting lately and just didn't want him leaving town in his state," his dad told the police. Doctors at Toronto General Hospital have insisted on keeping Eli in the hospital for a few days to answer police questions on the crash and to be tested for mental stability. "Our primary goal to keep kids like Eli safe and make sure they know that friends, family, police, and teachers are there for them as an outlet," said Officer Turner who was first on the scene. Eli is expected to be released sometime during Spring Break and will continue to attend his classes at Degrassi when school resumes. _

"Wow," Imogen whispered to no one in particular as she finished the article. That would explain the limp she had noticed Eli had. That would also explain why he was running home instead of driving. She clicked the back button and scrolled down for more links. The next one she came across was for the Gothic Tales comic books. The summary said that Eli had written a story for Gothic Tales and was now a published author. Imogen made sure to write down the issue number as a reminder to go out a buy the comic to read it. The summary claimed it to be dark and disturbing and it intrigued her.

She then scrolled to the next link. "Oh my God," he said out loud with her eyes wide and mouth agape.

The next link was to an online obituary of a girl named Julia. She clicked and read it. Imogen learned that the girl was killed by a car on April 22 last year. In the middle of the page, there was a list of speakers at her funeral. On the list she saw Eli's name.

_Elijah Goldsworthy – boyfriend_

Imogen gasped. Then something clicked. Eli was involved in a car crash on April 22 this year and his dead girlfriend was killed in a car crash on April 22 last year. She figured the two must've been somehow connected. Was it possible that Eli was trying to kill himself? Imogen shook the thought away. She didn't want to imagine him dead right now; not when she was sitting at her computer cyber stalking him. But she made a mental note of the coincidence for future reference.

Wanting to get away from the depressing feel of this link, Imogen went back to the results page. The next few hyperlinks were to things about Eli's father, Bullfrog Goldsworthy, and his radio station. But about four links down was a link to something called the Anti-Grapevine. Curious, Imogen clicked on the link. When the page came up, Imogen immediately recognized the Degrassi logo in the upper right hand corner. Underneath it read 'Anti-Grapevine: The Real Gossip and Rumors.' She looked at the post and saw that it was about Eli and a girl named Clare Edwards.

Apparently, Eli and Clare were Degrassi's most unlikely couple and yet they seemed to have the perfect relationship to any outsiders. Imogen read about the beginnings of their relationship as English partners and Eli's war against Fitz. She learned that Eli and Fitz were at odds quite often, especially after Fitz humiliated his best friend, Adam Torres, who happened to be transgendered, and when Fitz showed up to the Vegas Night dance with Clare Edwards as his date. Farther into the post, Imogen read about the knife fight and suspension/expulsion of Eli and Fitz along with Fitz's arrest. The end of the article, which had been updated just after the Spring Fling dance, claimed that the two broke up due to 'rumored instability within the relationship.'

At the bottom of the page there were pictures of Eli and Clare. One was of the two kissing at a bench in the park, and, due to the quality of the shot, Imogen supposed it had been taken as a screenshot from footage. Another showed the two walking down the hall with Eli's arm around Clare and her arm around his waist. His hair was tousled and they both seemed quite happy. In both pictures, Imogen noticed that Eli wore all black. The next picture was after Vegas Night as both had the Degrassi uniforms on. In it, Eli was hovering over a trash can with papers in his hands and was yelling at Clare who looked scared beyond belief. The adjacent picture showed Eli in a black leather jacket with his arm around Clare as they walked down the hall. He had a deathly glare and she looked fearful. The final picture was of Clare alone at the Spring Fling dance.

Below the pictures was more of the posting as it talked about Eli's car accident and Clare's flying solo at the dance. The very bottom of the page had a picture of Eli and Clare standing in front of each other at his locker. It was photo shopped into the shape of a heart with a crack between them.

_Goodbye Degrassi's beloved EClare_ was written just under the heart. And that would explain the sad, lost look in his eyes. Eli had obviously loved Clare beyond belief and had lost her. Imogen scrolled back up and clicked on Clare's name. It brought here to another page with tons of pictures of Clare Edwards as both a niner and a tenner. She read a little bit about Clare and KC and Clare as a gifted student and Clare as the sister of Darcy Edwards. Then she read about Clare's written play that her ex-boyfriend, Eli Goldsworthy, was directing. That's when Imogen got the idea.

Imogen wanted Eli. To get Eli, she would need to be his type. To be his type, she would need to be Clare. To be Clare, she would need to get to know the real Clare. To get to know the real Clare, she would have to be best friends with her. To be best friends with her, Imogen would need to join the play as an assistant writer.

Oh yes. If Eli Goldsworthy liked Clare Edwards, then he'd just love Imogen Moreno as Clare Edwards 2.0.


	7. Help Wanted

7: Help Wanted

The bell rang and the whole class practically sprinted out of the room. Except for Clare. For Clare, the end of the day signaled the beginning of rehearsals which meant spending two hours after school with Eli Goldsworthy. It royally sucked.

Even worse was that he was her director. That meant that at some point, they would have to talk and be civil. Yeah, right, like was possible.

Honestly, Clare regretted the way things ended with Eli. She remembered a time when the two were really close – even before the relationship – as just friends. Sometimes, Clare missed that. She would never admit is out loud, but when she gets really emotional about everything, she watches the Romeo and Juliet video she, Adam, and Eli made together earlier in the year for English. It never failed to bring a faint ghost of a smile onto her face. Which was crazy. The video should make her feel upset and depressed about the breakup between her and Eli. But it didn't. Actually, it reminded her of just how much they loved each other. And for some reason, the thought of their love made Clare feel better.

"Hey there you," Jake Martin called as he approached Clare who was now frozen in place at her locker with her books still in hand.

Clare whipped her head around to face Jake, bringing her attention out of her head and into the real world again. "Oh, hi," she said.

"So I was thinking," Jake said leaning up against the locker beside Clare's. "What are you doing later tonight? I know you have the play right now, but how about later?"

"Um, nothing yet," Clare responded. She and Jake had been hanging out a lot recently. At first it was because their parents forced them to hang out. But then it turned into a little something more. No, they weren't necessarily an official couple, but with the way things were going, they weren't far from it. They had a good thing going. It was kind of between friends with benefits and a full blown relationship.

"Wrong. You and I are going to spend some together," Jake said. He leaned down so that his mouth was next to Clare's ear and whispered, "Alone. On your couch." Clare's face flushed and Jake pulled away smirking. "Or bed. Whichever is fine by me," Jake said now grinning suggestively. Clare gulped, but nodded her head anyway.

Once Jake had left, Clare was alone at her locker. The hallway was mostly empty; the students had either left already or were already at whatever club they were a part of. Clare quickly put her books away and grabbed her book bag. She shut her locker and spun around only to come face to face with someone.

The girl was about the same height as Clare. She had dark hair up in two ponytails and a red polo on indicating that she was a junior. The girl just looked at Clare.

"Clare Edwards," the girl said. It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Um, yeah," Clare looked around nervously.

"You're writing the Degrassi school play," the girl said again as a statement. Clare nodded. "And you need an assistant."

Clare eyed the girl skeptically. "Um…" she trailed off unsure of what to say.

"My name is Imogen Moreno and I would be happy to be your assistant," Imogen said sticking her hand out between the two girls.

Imogen looked at Clare expectantly. Clare stood there shocked. She didn't remember ever making it known that she wanted an assistant on the play.

"Um, do you write?" Clare asked. Imogen shrugged.

"Only a little. I'm no professional like you," she said. "But I'm great with direction. I mean, I could be like a little messenger from you to anybody. Taking scripts to the cast, or getting new pages printed, or handing out new scenes, or anything."

Suddenly, an idea came to Clare. She knew that eventually she would have to talk to Eli. Or Adam. It wasn't really something Clare was looking forward to. She knew it would be an awkward moment and just make it more obvious to everyone how uncomfortable things were. But, with a messenger, none of this interaction would include Clare. Perhaps she could have Imogen be like a runner and connect her with her cast and directors.

Clare thought that maybe having Imogen around wasn't all that bad. She nodded.

"Okay, here's the deal: you can be my assistant if you be my runner," Clare stated. Imogen gave her a slightly confused look as to what that meant. "Basically, you take messages from me to…the other people working on the play," Clare clarified.

"Oh, you mean Elijah Goldsworthy and Adam Torres formerly known as Gracie Torres?" Imogen asked nonchalantly.

"Um…" Clare said clearly uncomfortable.

Imogen put her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit any nerves. I was just clarifying," Imogen said apologetically. "I shall no longer mention either of the two boys unless you want me to. I understand the emotions are still very raw."

Both girls sat in an awkward silence for a few moments. Imogen was waiting for Clare to say anything. Clare, on the other hand, was wondering, first of all, how this random girl she had never met knew about things between her and Eli and Adam, and, second, how this girl knew so much about everything.

"So, I'll see you in the drama room in a few?" Imogen asked. Clare could only nod, but it was good enough for Imogen. She sauntered off down the hall and towards the drama room, leaving Clare bewildered and, once again, alone in the Degrassi hallway.


	8. CoStars

8: Co-Stars

The drama room was filled with people. Production on the play had just started and so everyone was needed to be there. Looking around, there were set designers, set builders, costume designers, stage managers, assistants, writers, directors, cast members, and supervisors. However, looking among the many people there, Adam spotted two unfamiliar faces.

The first was a girl with dark hair. She was in her red polo shirt still from school hours. In her hands, she held multiple papers. Adam recognized some as parts of the script, other pieces seemed to be notes for the directors or set designers. The girl wore glasses and seemed to be running around the room. Adam watched as she finally settled herself near a group of people all huddled around a desk. At that desk, sat Adam's former friend, Clare Edwards. He assumed that this new girl was an assistant to Clare.

The other girl stood by herself on stage. Her hair was much lighter. She wore a long dress so Adam couldn't tell what grade she was. Adam watched as costume designers approached the girl and examined the dress. They talked amongst themselves and then went to retrieve other clothes. One person held a different dress up to the girl's body and looked at it.

Adam sighed. The good news was that not much had changed yesterday when he wasn't here. The bad news was not much had changed. He saw that Clare was sending the dark haired new girl over to where Eli was with notes instead of talking to him herself. He also noticed Fiona talking with Eli as they read new parts of the script. He hated this. If it was up to him, Adam would drop this play. But he couldn't. One, he needed the arts credits. Two, it was his only shot at reuniting him, Eli, and Clare.

He sighed again. _Here goes nothing_, he thought as he pushed open the drama room doors. Adam stepped into the room and was immediately attacked by people. Some were giving him new scenes or lines for the script, others were asking him to try out a new prop or stand on a new set. The commotion began to give Adam a headache. Now he remembered why he skipped out yesterday. He rubbed his temples with his finger tips.

"Excuse me," Adam heard. The dark haired girl he saw earlier was now standing in front of him. "Adam Torres," she told him. It wasn't a question or a statement; it was closer to a demand. "Here," she said pushing a new stack of paper into Adam's hands. Before Adam got out the obligatory 'thank you,' the girl had disappeared.

Slowly, the rest of the crowd around Adam began to dissipate as the people went off to prepare and do their own things. Adam sighed lightly and almost silently. He looked at the papers in his hands as he walked towards the stage. It was a rewritten script for one of the climatic scenes in the play. He rolled his eyes. It was just like Clare to change this scene again. He hadn't even bothered to do any memorizing on the last edition of the scene because he figured she'd change it again.

Once Adam was on stage, he found himself face to face with the other new girl he didn't recognize. He glanced up from the paper to see her studying him. He raised his eyebrows. Then he leaned a little closer to her as if he was about to whisper.

"Yes, I am transgendered," he told her. The girl looked away from him with blush creeping up on her face from being caught staring.

"I, uh, I wasn't, um," she stuttered. Adam chuckled. He smiled at the girl.

"It's fine really. I'm Adam, by the way," he said reaching his hand out to shake hers. "But, by you looking me over, I'd assume you already knew that." Adam held a smirk on his face and retracted his hand from the girl's.

"Yeah, I did know that. I'm Katie," she said. Adam looked at her expectantly. "Oh, right. Um, I'm playing Clara."

"Really?" Adam asked surprised. "No offence, but you don't seem like one for drama."

Katie giggled. "Not usually. But I would like to graduate next year so I need the fine arts credits," she told him.

"You're a junior," Adam said. He didn't phrase it as a question but more as a fact. Katie nodded. Then there was silence between the two of them as they looked at each other. Katie held Adam's gaze refusing to be the one to look away. Adam, on the other hand, with a smirk still on his face, looked into Katie's eyes knowing that she was trying hard not to look away.

"Okay!" Eli called from his desk in the corner as he clapped his hands loudly. Katie shook her head and swiveled it to look in Eli's direction, but could still feel Adam's eyes on her. "Let's try the newly revised scene where Clara rips Elliot's heart out by telling him that he is a possessive monster," Eli said.

Clare leaned over to whisper something into Imogen's ear. All eyes were on Imogen as she stood up to repeat whatever Clare had told her. "I think he means the scene when Clara confronts Elliot about controlling behavior in a civilized manner," she said as if reading from a cue card. Eli rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Okay, everyone, places!"

Katie looked down at the script in her hands to find where to go on stage. Adam looked down at his script as well and Katie finally felt free of his eyes. She walked to stage left and gripped the script as Adam took his mark center stage.

"And," Eli called, "Action!"


	9. Action!

9: Action!

Adam looked down at the script in his hands. He didn't know how he got here, between his friends. He looked up from the paper to see Eli in the far left corner of the room and Clare in the far right. Adam sighed. None of them were talking. They were the broken misfits.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Adam looked down at the script to read his lines.

"Clara! Clara!" Adam called out. "Where are you?"

"I am here," Katie said emerging from stage left.

"Oh, Clara," Adam said with fake love and adoration in his voice. He walked quickly over to her and stood beside her. He took her hand just as the script said to do. "I was afraid you left," he said trying his best to keep a good act.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Imogen said standing up. Adam tore his eyes away from Katie to look at her confused. Katie also turned to her as did everyone else in the room. Imogen looked back at Clare and then faced Adam. "You're acting too innocent," Imogen told him. "In this scene, Elliot is aggressive and controlling over Clara, questioning her and interrogating her more than worrying about her."

"No," Eli's voice rang from the other end. "You're wrong. The innocence of Elliot is what makes the scene so heart wrenching. His innocence makes Clara's accusations seem more judgmental than caring or loving."

Clare began writing quickly on a piece of paper. Imogen glanced down at it and started to read while Clare finished writing. "But that's not the point of the scene. The importance of the scene is to establish a climatic point the Elliot and Clara's relationship where the audience sees that Clara finally recognizes what being with Elliot had done to her. And so, acting too innocent with shadow the main reason behind the tension in the relationship, Elliot's faults."

Eli, in the corner, folded his arms. "Clara has faults too," he muttered. Clare immediately hid her face. Eli continued. "As the director, I think that the acting was spot on to get across the point of this particular scene, which is to show Clara's aggressiveness towards Elliot and his protective ways."

Imogen, reading from another paper Clare wrote on, said, "Clara isn't aggressive in this scene. She is calm and collected. Elliot, however, is obsessive over her and so it needs to be shown how crazy he is."

"Crazy?" Eli shouted in disbelief. "But there's no evidence to show that Clara thought Elliot was crazy! In all actuality, this scene doesn't really fit in the play the way it's written at all. If you ask me, I would say it needs a rewrite."

"Oh that's ridiculous," Clare interjected finally fed up with having her thoughts read out loud. "The play, from start to finish, displays Elliot's mental instability and problems thoroughly."

Eli glared in Clare's direction, but not directly at Clare. Although he'd never say it out loud, no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't ever be mad at her. It stung deep because after all they went through and after a breakup like the one they had Eli felt he had the right to be angry. But he just couldn't find it in himself.

"Let's get back to the play," Eli finally said after glaring a moment longer. He looked in the direction of the stage where Adam was now sitting on the edge and Katie next to him.

"Not until we all understand how the scene should be portrayed," Imogen stated firmly without Clare telling her to.

Eli looked at her annoyed and frustrated. He didn't like that the new girl he met last night had this kind of power just because she was helping Clare. He remained silent as Imogen stared back at him with determination apparent in her eyes.

"Okay, fine," Fiona said finally breaking the silence. "Let's all just take five while everything gets settled, shall we?"

With that, Eli and Imogen broke eye contact. She turned back to Clare and Eli to Fiona. With the tension still obvious in the room, the other students working on the play began to get back to whatever it was they were doing before rehearsal started. The silent working was eerie, but, slowly, it got louder as people decided it was safe to talk again.

Adam laid his head in his hands. He shook his head and took a deep breath. Things were bad and he didn't know if there was any way to fix it. But if there was, Adam would find it; he was determined to do so.

"Are they always going to be like that?" Katie asked startling Adam. He had been so caught up in Eli and Clare that he hadn't even noticed her sitting next to him.

"Oh, um, I hope not," Adam told her, but there was no assurance in his voice. He sounded depressed and dejected.

"Oh," Katie said sadly. She turned away.

Adam noticed the disappointing tone of her voice and decided to strike up a conversation. They were cast mates after all. And they would have to share a stage kiss at some point. He figured they should at least be able to talk freely.

"It wasn't always like this," Adam said. She turned to him. "They used to be the perfect couple."

"So I've heard," Katie said. When she saw Adam looked confused, she continued. "I talked to Clare yesterday. She told me about her and Eli…" Katie told him. "And about what happened between her and you."

"Oh," Adam managed to say.

"Yeah," Katie said with a similar awkwardness. There was a brief silence before Katie spoke again. "Nasty breakups suck," she said to defuse the uncomfortable air.

Adam nodded. "Agreed," he said looking into the left corner of the room at Fiona who was standing next to Eli. She must've felt eyes on her because Fiona looked up to meet Adam's eyes, but they both quickly looked away. None of this went unnoticed by Katie.

"What happened there?" she asked.

"What happened where?" Adam feigned puzzlement.

"You know," Katie said with a smirk. "There," she said with her eyes trained on Fiona. Adam looked over at Fiona, but looked down immediately. Katie nudged him with her shoulder and he grinned a little.

"Nothing," he told her. Katie gave him a disbelieving look. "Look, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," he relented.

Katie gazed at Adam seriously sensing that his playfulness was forced. He returned her gaze with his very own questioning eyes.

"Try me," she replied.


	10. Not A Girl

10: Not a Girl

Adam sighed. He knew Katie was just trying to help, but they just met a few minutes ago and he didn't think it was appropriate to tell her his whole life story right then and there.

"We just…had a break up is all," Adam tried to convince her halfheartedly. He was hoping she'd get the hint and drop the topic completely.

Katie just nodded. It was a long shot getting him to talk to her and open up, she knew that. But something about his demeanor made her want to break down the heavily guarded walls around him. She didn't know why he had this pull on her, but he did, whether he knew it or not.

Adam glanced to see disappointment and embarrassment obvious on Katie's face. He caved. "It's just," he said struggling to find the right words, "Fiona is…gay. I mean, she likes girls. And I'm not a girl."

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Katie replied. She looked over at Adam for a long moment. "This could be overstepping seeing as how we just met and all, but, how do you know you're transgendered?" she asked genuinely intrigued.

He raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn't a rare question. Actually, it tended to be the one most people asked him. How did he know? Normally, he would respond by asking how they knew they were a girl or a boy. Then he would say it's a fundamental thing to know about yourself. But this time, he answered differently.

"Well, it's like, whenever I see myself – not literally, but like, in my head – I don't see a girl. No matter how hard I try, all that comes to mind is a boy, me as a boy. I know it sounds a bit crazy…" he trailed off.

"No," Katie said without hesitation. He turned to her. "It doesn't sound crazy," she told him.

"Ever since I was little I knew I was different. I don't mean just a little different like I didn't want to play with dolls or wear dresses, I mean like, the mere thought of wearing a dress made me sick and the idea of playing with dolls or playing house made me want to puke. All I wanted to do was be one of the guys. Which is fine until you get older. When you're little, it's okay for a girl to be not girly. But once you're older, if you're not girly, you're messed up. So I asked myself why. And this was the answer I got," Adam spoke honestly and sincerely.

"Being me makes me happy, no matter how hard it is. And if people don't want to accept me for me, then they don't want to accept my happiness. And that's just fine with me," Adam vented.

There was a pause as Adam met Katie's eyes. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. His eyes were piercingly beautiful. They made you not want to look away. She couldn't figure out how she didn't see them before.

"Beautiful," she whispered under her breath, but Adam caught it.

"What?" he asked confused. He heard her say something but wasn't sure what.

Katie felt her face flush from being caught. She realized she had yet to answer Adam. "Oh, I, uh, I said that was beautiful," she stumbled on her words. Then she quickly added, "What you said, I mean."

Adam chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah, I guess it was," he shrugged. "But its how I feel; it's something I can't change."

"You're a very interesting boy, Adam Torres," Katie told him. He smirked at her then turned away. There was a brief pause as the two sat together.

"What about you?" Adam asked, breaking the silence. Katie looked at him puzzled by the question. "Tell me something about you," he pressed.

"Okay, well, I'm an overachiever," Katie offered. Adam shook his head.

"No," he said. "Something more. I opened up to you; now it's your turn."

Katie sighed. It was only fair that she tell him something personal after he was so generous to answer her question with personal information about himself.

She looked into Adam's eyes, startling him a bit. Until now, it had really been him looking into her. Now, she was looking into him.

"I'm not really who everyone thinks I am."


	11. Katie Matlin

11: Katie Matlin

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"Katie Matlin runs the school newspaper. Katie Matlin is on the Women's National under 17 Soccer Team. Katie Matlin will be next year's school president. Katie Matlin is unstoppable," Katie said.

"But?" Adam questioned sensing there was more to say.

"That's not me," Katie insisted. "I'm so scared…of everything."

Adam thought for a moment. "What is everything?"

"I don't know," Katie told him. "People, they expect me to be able to handle everything and anything. I'm supposed to be the overachiever that can outdo anyone at anytime. But I'm not. Inside, I'm shaking. I can't escape the feeling that I'm not living up to what people are expecting me to be. And not being Katie Matlin, it's unnerving."

Adam shook his head. "I get it," he said. Katie shot him a disbelieving look. "No, really. Two years ago I was Gracie. She was who everyone expected me to be, and yet here I am, as Adam."

Katie nodded. Maybe he had gone through the same stuff as her, but he would never understand what it was like to be her.

For Katie, everything was about going somewhere. Getting good grades, being involved in school, being on the soccer team. Everything in her life was about, one day, getting somewhere. Even the little things like the every night before school making her lunch that way, in the morning, she wouldn't have to be rushed for time.

When she was younger, Katie's mom used to tell her that people only care about you if you make something of yourself, if you go somewhere in life. She used to say that childhood is not the time for fun but is a time to plan for the future. And so, since she was just a small child, Katie Matlin had been preparing for the future.

Her first day of high school was perhaps the worst day of her life. It was on that day that, as soon as she got home from school, her parents sat her down and asked her what she wanted to do with her life. That conversation would always be vivid in her mind.

"_Katie, take a seat," her mom said just as Katie walked through her front door. Katie skeptically walked over to the table and took a seat across from both her mother and father. They looked at her with their hands clasped on the tabletop. Katie, unlike her parents, kept her arms at her sides._

"_How was school honey?" her dad questioned. His voice sounded slightly intrigued but Katie knew that tone anywhere; this talk wasn't just your average post-first day of high school talk._

"_Oh, it was great actually," Katie informed him. "My teachers seem nice."_

"_Well, we don't want nice teachers. We want effective ones," Katie's mom firmly stated. _

"_That's – That's what I meant," Katie responded in a weaker tone. "They all seem like very effective and disciplined educators."_

"_What did you do today in class? Anything interesting?" her father asked. Of the two, her dad was always more subtle and calm about things. Her mother, on the other hand, tended to lean towards being blunt and generally sounded very rude and business-like. _

"_We didn't do very much other than go over the curriculum and supplies that we'll need for the year," Katie said. This was just a preliminary conversation. Katie was waiting for the ensuing heavier stuff._

"_That's good," her dad said with s phony smile plastered on his face. There was only one thing Katie disliked about her father, and it was his smile. It wasn't grimy or sleazy; it was fake. All the time. Even when he didn't mean for it to be, it just was. _

"_Katie, your father and I would like to know what it is your going to do with your life," her mother tried to sound sweet and sincere, but it was forced._

"_What exactly do you mean? I plan on going onto university and getting a steady job after that," Katie said puzzled by the question._

"_Yes, we know that. But what university? What job? Katie, what is your ten year plan?" her mom pressed._

"_My – my ten year plan?" Katie asked. _

_Her mother sighed disappointedly. "Well, I assume it's quite obvious that you don't have one seeing as you don't even understand what that means," her mother snobbishly stated. She then focused her glare on Katie. Katie gulped at the intensity in her mother's eyes. "Listen, young lady. I want a ten year plan written out, in detail, by the end of this week. Do you understand me?"_

_Katie gulped again. "Yes," she said obviously frightened._

"_Good," her mother said smiling. Anyone who didn't know her would assume that she was softening towards Katie, but Katie knew better. The relaxation of her mother's body was in victory, no out of sympathy. "I just want you to go somewhere one day. You know what I always say…" her mother trailed off._

"_People will only care about me if I make something of myself," Katie responded robotically. _

"_And don't you forget it," her mother recited the usually playful words of a parent to child with a dead seriousness in her voice. _

Katie registered a hand waving in front of her face. Startled, she snapped into attention and quickly leaned back away from the hand.

"Whoa," Adam said. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you there. You just kind of zoned out on me."

"Oh," Katie replied with relief that the hand wasn't dangerous. "Um, sorry, I was just, uh…you know."

Adam nodded. He understood. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him to slip into his own mind as well throughout the day. Most of the time, it shocked Adam how often other people did it as well; he always thought it was only him, just assuming it came with the territory of being taunted for being transgendered. Adam would succumb to his thoughts about his tormentors or recent events in his life and how much simpler things would be if only he was biologically male. He sighed out loud.

"Everything okay?" Katie asked upon hearing Adam sigh.

He looked over at her and gave her a faint smile. "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

Katie opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by Fiona's voice. "Alright everyone!" she called out getting the attention of all the cast and crew in the drama room. "Break time is over! Let's all get back to rehearsing the newly rewritten scene. Places!"


	12. Observing

12: Observing

"Action!" Fiona yelled.

Adam rolled back his shoulders and stood center stage with his script in hand. "Clara! Clara!" he called out feigning worry.

"I am here," Katie responded entering stage left.

"Oh, Clara," Adam recited his lines. "I was afraid you left," he told her with a voice that was firm, yet obviously filled with worry. He took Katie's hands in his own.

Imogen looked over at Clare who was watching the scene unfold intently. She was memorizing Clare's every reaction to each line and the way she sat and bit her bottom lip with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. Imogen was recording everything Clare was doing and storing it in the back of her mind for future reference to use when around Eli.

It was shameless, using Clare like this. But, then again, all was fair in love and war. And it wasn't like Clare would really care much if Imogen and Eli got together; after all, she had Jake. She had moved on. Or so she said. Something about the way Clare shifted in her seat each time Katie, as Clara, would call Elliot's name.

"Elliot, I'll always love you," Katie insisted with fake adoration for Adam, as Elliot. That was what acting was, fake. "But you've been acting…different."

Imogen watched as Clare slightly leaned forward. She mirrored the younger girl's movements. Trying to be discreet, Imogen kept her eyes forward, but watched Clare out of the corner of her eye.

"Different?" Adam asked confused. He quickly looked down at the script to read his next line. "And, Clara, may I ask, how so?" Adam furrowed his eyebrows. Imogen was unsure whether it was him just acting confused or if the line itself was confusing. But she didn't worry herself with it.

Imogen watched Clare shift uncomfortably in her seat after she caught Eli's glare from the corner of her eye. Mentally noting that the two were very much at odds, Imogen relaxed in her chair. Perhaps Eli and Clare not speaking could be used to her advantage. After all, Eli still loved Clare and if she reentered his life, there'd be no place for Imogen.

"Well," Katie said on stage. She glanced down at the script. "You've been very…clingy lately," Katie said with hesitation.

"Clingy?" Adam repeated.

"Yes," Katie confirmed. "And a bit possessive and controlling and suffocating and overwhelming and – "

Adam raised his hand to stop Katie. "Clara, what are you trying to say?"

Clare smiled with anticipation. She kept her view of Eli in the corner of her eye to see his reaction to the newly written lines. It was cruel, but she knew the words would spark understanding and perhaps anger in him. It needed to be done. He needed to see what she saw when they ended things.

"You have things to deal with," Katie recited. Clare and Imogen both noted Eli's jaw clench and his fists ball up. "I really need some space."

A proud smile graced Clare's lips once Adam said the words. Eli abruptly stood up and quietly excused himself from the room. Before saying his next line, Adam made eye contact with Clare for the first time in a while and gave her a disappointed look.

Imogen watched the scene fold in front of her. If you weren't looking for the connection, the actions of Clare, Eli, and Adam might go unnoticed or, if noticed, seen as coincidental. But Imogen was looking. She was able to fit the pieces together properly.

The smug grin on Clare's lips fell after Adam's eyes left hers. Although he and Eli hadn't talked in a long time, and Clare knew that, it was clear that Adam still cared about him. A wave of guilt washed over Clare as she glanced in Eli's direction to find him gone. She caught of glimpse of Fiona shaking her head at her. Clare averted her gaze back to center stage where Adam was starting his next line.

_Who cares what she thinks_, Clare asked herself. _After all, she did hurt Adam and then had the audacity to befriend Eli_, she reminded herself.

Katie exited stage right, leaving Adam alone for his short monologue. "Space?" he questioned out loud.

Eli slipped back into the room to hear the final lines of the scene. He made eye contact with Adam for a moment as Adam spoke.

"I can't let her slip away from me," he said. Eli caught the conviction in his tone and took the hint. Adam was speaking directly to him. "Clara is everything to me. Everything. Without her…I don't know how I'll go on."

Adam paused, debating whether or not to go off script to get his point across to Eli and Clare. He took a breath and decided they needed to hear what he had to say.

"I can't give her space; space only leads to heartbreak," he said. Eli gulped. Adam moved his eyes to Clare. "She doesn't know what she wants. She doesn't get it."

Everyone in the room stood confused by Adam's improved script. But nonetheless, they listened as he kept talking.

"No one gets it. No one understands. The world doesn't understand. Clara and I are meant for each other; we can't let space get between us. I won't let it," Adam stated rather venomously.

He looked up at the lighting crew and the lights went black, signaling the end of the scene. Everyone sat in darkness, each thinking something different.

Most thought about Adam's unscripted speech. But some…some were thinking about what he was really saying. Eli thought about how suffocating he was and how unnerving his attitude was when Clare tried to end things. Clare thought about her constant uncertainty of letting Eli go or ever getting back together with him. And Imogen…Imogen thought about how she could use all this raw emotion to her advantage.


	13. Alone

13: Alone

The lights came back on and flooded the drama room. It remained silent. Adam stood center stage, still with his script in hand, and looked out towards no one in particular. The bell rang and the room filled with excitement.

"Um, great job today guys," Fiona called tentatively over the commotion. "Same time tomorrow!"

Fiona watched as the room began to empty. People were rushing home to their family for dinner. But she didn't move. Her eyes were trained on the boy still standing on stage staring into space as if it were the most interesting thing in the world at that moment. Fiona couldn't take her eyes off Adam.

"Fi," she heard Eli call. Fiona broke her gaze and faced the voice. "What are you doing tonight?"

Fiona raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out, Elijah Goldsworthy?"

Eli gave a faint, sarcastic smirk. "Don't flatter yourself, Coyne. CeCe wanted to know it you wanted company for dinner tonight," he told her shrugging.

Fiona contemplated saying yes. She had met Eli's parents once in passing at the therapist's office. His dad was extremely friendly – overfriendly perhaps – but his mom was more reserved; she seemed more worried about Eli making a new friend right then. They hadn't talked long but did learn a bit about each other. Fiona also learned that Eli told his parents quite a bit about her seeing as the two were spending a lot of time together.

Saying yes would make for an awkward dinner, but awkward beat lonely. Normally, Fiona would go back to the condo, order take out from somewhere fancy, do whatever homework she had, eat, shower, and go to sleep. It was her daily routine. Wake up alone, come home alone, eat alone. Eating alone was the worst for her.

Throughout her time as a diplomat's daughter she had become accustomed to arriving home to find her mother out, her father at work, and her brother walking with her through the door. Later, Declan had grown apart and began to stay after school for activities and meet with girls and do anything but not coming home with Fiona. And so, Fiona taught herself the value of an empty house to greet her in the afternoon.

But eating was different. Sitting alone at a long table with a small plate of take out Italian, or Chinese, or French made her feel alone. Totally alone. It wasn't so bad when she had work to do, but lately, because the school year was ending soon, her teachers weren't really assigning much work for the students to do at home. Filling her time with an empty routine of loneliness was getting old.

And so Fiona contemplated saying yes. But she knew that in the end she'd say no. Even though so much of her wanted to be with someone – anyone! – for just one meal, she knew that it would only add to the depression she felt at ever meal she ate alone.

"No thanks, Eli," Fiona sighed. "Sorry."

Eli nodded before turning to leave. Fiona, as soon as Eli turned away, brought her attention back to Adam, who was still standing center stage. His eyes were dark and overcast, unlike his normal pools of baby blue. He let his arms hang beside his body, but stood up straight and tall. She softened towards the boy. She understood him, and that hurt.

He was stubborn and determined, no matter what. So many people tried to bring him done and destroy who he was, but in the end, he would still be standing. One day, she knew it, he knew it, and so did everyone else, Adam was going to be the strongest person in the world. One day, he was going to be big; he was going to be someone. All those people who made fun of him and laughed at his expense would one day bow down to him. They weren't half the man he was.

She watched Adam as his eyes lightened up and his face changed to shy and embarrassed. He glanced around as his face grew hot and he slumped over and retreated off the stage. Fiona sat in her chair as Adam passed by her. He paid her no attention although it was apparent that he saw her.

Fiona entertained the thought of calling out to him. If she did, she was sure that there would be two things that came out of it. One, he would probably he angry and upset and wouldn't open up much which would cause a lot of tension and possibly escalate to a level she didn't want. Two, the relationship between them would be changed forever (whether it was for the better or worse, she was unsure).

But maybe it was worth it. Maybe she could fix whatever it was they had before and maybe develop some resemblance of a friendship. Part of her really wanted Adam just to look at her, just to recognize her. There was still a part of her that was sure that he would never look at her again. She had done something so terrible that even in her wildest dreams, Fiona still couldn't admit it.

She knew how it felt to be spited against and broken. Bobby had done it, Declan had done it, Holly J had done it. Everyone in her life, at one point or another, had cracked her bit by bit. A long time ago, she promised herself she would never do that to anyone…ever.

She had broken that promise, and now she felt the guilt eating her alive. She felt it crawling under her skin and worming through her organs, her heart and lungs. Her soul was escaping her body with every breath she let go.

"Adam!" she called out just as his feet pulled him through the threshold of the door. Fiona suddenly felt nervous when she heard his footsteps grow quiet and his feet stop moving. He was debating whether or not to respond to her. Fiona held her breath and waited.


	14. Never Enough

14: Never Enough

Adam tensed. Turning around would mean having to do the one thing he had been hoping to avoid. Fiona. She had just called out to him. Luckily, he had two options. One, he could pretend he didn't hear her (he was far enough away that this could be an option). Or two, he could turn to her and talk.

He really wasn't looking forward to the latter. But he knew that at some point their paths would cross again and they would eventually talk.

He didn't really know why she had called out to him. Things between them definitely didn't end well; quite honestly, their whole relationship was just one big problem. Neither of them had spoken to each other or made any attempt to contact the other. This outburst was sudden and unexpected.

By now, he knew that no matter what his decision would be – whether he responds or just walks away – that she had seen him hesitate. He had been standing there long enough. She knew that he had heard her, and by now it was obvious that he was just debating whether or not to answer her.

Letting out a breath, Adam rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He didn't know why he was doing this, but there was this strange feeling brewing within him that said if he didn't man up now, he'd never get the chance.

He turned on his heel and faced her. There was no one else in the room besides them. He took a few steps towards her telling himself that he was strong enough to do this. He kept telling himself that this would be easy and painless. But he knew that was a lie even as he tried to convince himself otherwise.

"Hey," he managed to say shyly. He immediately cursed himself for the small voice that came out.

"How, um, how are you?" Fiona asked struggling to begin a conversation.

Adam breathed before bringing his eyes up to meet hers. The moment he did he found a confidence the struck through his body that built on the foundation of her rejection. "I've been better," he said a bit more rudely than intended, but he didn't regret this tone, not even when Fiona broke eye contact and shifted her gaze to the floor.

She stood silent for a moment, as if wondering how to respond. Adam just looked at her with defiance and self assurance in his eyes that seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere. He watched her fidget under his pressing gaze and pushed away the guilty feeling building up inside his gut. She deserved this. She had brought it upon herself.

But that wasn't entirely true. He knew this.

At some point, the blame fell on him. After all, he decided to stay in the relationship trying to make it last even though he sensed a deeper problem within Fiona. There was some part of him that just wanted to go back and undo every talking with her. That part wanted to go back and let Drew have her. But it was impossible. Not only was it impossible, but then she may still be lost in the description society has given her.

Even at the cost of his heartbreak, he was thankful to have helped her find herself. For he once knew how it felt to curse the label applied to him and not understand who he is. There were many differences between him and Fiona, but the one thing they could connect so deeply on was the emotional feeling of being an outcast against what you are told to be.

He felt himself soften. "How about you?"

Fiona looked up and met his eyes briefly before breaking contact and looking elsewhere. As she spoke, her voice shook with anxiety and nerves. "Better."

"Good," he said. Adam continued to avoid her eyes and Fiona continued to search for the connection between them. "Um, what's up?"

Fiona froze. She herself wasn't sure why she had called out to him and now here he was asking about it. There was a part of her screaming to run because she was so nervous and afraid. But this conversation had to happen; without it, tensions would only get higher and things would get more difficult.

"I don't think sorry is appropriate here," she admitted.

Adam's jaw set hard and he turned away from facing her. He tucked one hand in his pocket and brought the other to his face. He pulled on his face showing frustration and contemplation. "No, it isn't," he affirmed.

Hearing his response, Fiona jus solemnly nodded. Adam looked over her quickly. She looked just as she did before, but there was something missing, a lack of allure, a lack of luster. Nothing about her called out to him right now as it did earlier when all that mattered was her. It disturbed him. He didn't want his

Adam tucked his other hand into his pocket and brought his gaze to the floor. "This used to be easier," he remarked lightly with a bit of forced laughter to try and ease the tension.

"Yeah," she said back with a faint smile playing on her face. "Those were the days, huh?"

A genuine smile graced Adam's face as the conversation began to flow between them with ease. "Yeah, the glory days," he joked.

"If only," Fiona responded rolling her eyes. Adam eyed her curiously. "I wouldn't exactly call them my glory days per se…" she trailed off playfully.

"Oh?" he teased back. "And here I was thinking that a socialite's glory days were defined by how many people she can tear down."

The statement was said playfully but both Fiona and Adam caught the serious tone of the underlying issue that neither wanted to be the first to bring up and confront. A silence fell between them and Adam shifted uncomfortably under Fiona's gaze as her eyes wandered his face.

"That wasn't what I wanted to happen," she whispered barely audible.

Adam nodded. "I know," he told her. "But it did."

The silence enclosed them again as neither had any rebuttal to Adam's final comment. His gaze found the floor once more as did hers. Any passerby would think that there was a mini dancing dragon on the floor because they both looked down as if it were an amazing site to see, finding interest in the plain carpet that covered the drama room floor.

Laughter was heard coming down the hall that pulled them out of their trance. Fiona and Adam looked toward the doors as two figures approached with hands intertwined and smiles on their face.

"Adam!" Drew called out to his brother. He noticed Fiona and immediately silenced his laughter. "Um, mom's here to pick us up. She's out front. Come on."

Drew looked and met his brother's eyes. There was gratefulness in the cool blue pools, but a hit of regret. Making a mental note to ask about it later, Drew looked back at Bianca and smiled.

"I guess that's your cue." Fiona said sadly.

Adam nodded. "Yeah." Their eyes met again and Adam's were empty; nothing was in them. There was no hidden emotion or visible emotion. One could easily mistake them for that of a dead person. Fiona felt the pang in the pit of her stomach that only grew each time she thought of the boy she broke.

Finally conjuring the courage to say something, Fiona opened her mouth, but hesitated before actually speaking. "We made really good friends," she said quietly.

Gulping, Adam agreed. "But friendship is never enough to heal a broken person. It takes time," he told her hoping she'd understand that he needed more time before they could be anything resembling any type of friend.

Fiona nodded as he gave her a polite smile and turned to slink off in the direction of Drew and Bianca who were now leaned against the door post kissing. Adam looked back once more at her and then hunched back over to continue on his way. She watched as he approached the pair. Bianca sneered at him and Drew rolled his eyes as he tugged away from his girlfriend and pulled her along with him. Adam stood in the now vacant doorway and Fiona watched his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath.

Adam inhaled deeply before following his brother and Bianca. Sometimes, he wished that he had _a_ friend who wasn't Eli or Clare because at the moment, he wasn't speaking to them. Rather, they weren't speaking to him. Shaking his head, knowing that this whole period of time was just a struggle for the three friends, Adam exhaled and began to stalk off to his mother's mini van parked right outside the school's steps.


End file.
